Safety device for seaplanes



June 26, 1945. l L |:1- REYNQLDS E y 2,379,186

SAFETY DEVICE FOR kSEA PLANES vINVENTOR. Y

51111626, 1945. .1. P. REYNOLDS SAFETY DEVICE FOR SEA PLANES Filed July 2, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

TTOR/VE V6 June 26, 1.945.

J. P. REYNOLDS SAFETY DEVICE FOR SEA PLANES 'Filed July 2, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 e INVENTOR.

Patented `i'urie 26, 1945 nuire-o@ stares ennemie or el es:

y `2,379,18.6" v v SAFETY AlrVlIC. FRfSEAPJANES l 4 .lohn Parkeson Reynolds, Buffalo, N

Application wJuly-,2; 1943, Seral1No.v493,-272

f 1 claim. (c1. 244%) This inventionaims toprovide a novelfmeans whereby'a .ying boat may bedenudecl of its wings and tail structure,v after the-hull 'of the boat has landed on Ethesurfacey of the water.

It is .within the province =ofthe y disclosure-.to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of tli'at'typewto `which the ypresentdnvention fappertains..

With the above and other obj ectsin view, wh1ch will :appear asthe description `proceedsitl'ie invention residesl in -the combination and yarrangement ofE partsv and iirthedetailswof construction hereinafter 'described :andi claimed, itiy ebeing. understood thatchanges in the:v precise .embodimentl offV the invention hereindisclosedmay be made with-,

in the scope-of what is claimedlwithout depart'-` ing frornthe spirit of `the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig-.ffl shows in topplan, adevice constructed in accordance with the: invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a top -planwhereinithefwings and assocated parts are omitted;'

Fig. 4 is a -cross section onfthe'linel 4-411of construction, the deck appearing at 2, the marine propeller at 3, the skeg at 4, the rudder post at 5, and the rudder at a part of the stern frame being marked by the numeral l.

Fore and aft, parallel track rails 8 are secured at 9 to the deck 2 and terminate at the after end of the deck.

Track extensions i0 have their forward ends pivoted at Ii to the after ends of the rails 8, for up and down swinging movement. The eXtensions Iii normally are aligned axially with the rails s but have an up and. down swinging movement. The means for holding the extensions ill the position speciied, and for permitting them to yield downwardly, will now be described.

The numeral i2 designates a frame, secured at I4 to the after portion of the hull l, and held in that position by braces i5, connected to the stern of the hull I.

Figures 2 and 5 disclose a combined lifting and cushioning -devicew I 6 ,n comprising..l uprightcylindersL I 'l havingatheirs lower endsS-pivoted at-i 2 01 etoi-v the frame .I2, Plungersvliare'flnounted.for reciprocation in the cylinders made. up of sidef beams 241,5in the form of-inverted channels,v the side'. beamsnbeing parallel; iand Ebeing secured .at 25 to thewbottom '.portions..of the wingsf122f Atf their after endsg-the sidei ibeams .241 2 of -thertiu'ehZSare rigidly connected bya cross bar 26r- Th'e chamlet-shaped'-.side.-beamsllaoif thertruck are mountedito slide'.on1the track lrails 8 :andftheirl extensions I,tf'ore andrfaft Nuts-:2T are'fweldedv to-.the-y upperparts vof tirez-channel` beams 24fand may-be-consideredas parts there'- of.'

The channels 24, being secured toftheiwings 22,

andbeingengagedwith thetrack railsf :on the,

deckl 2, prevent' Lthe wings from'. shifting thwartship. Theffmeans forifpreventingthe wings 22.@-

from shifting fore and aft is shown best in Fig. 4.

Hand screws 28 are mounted to rotate in the deck 2 and in the rails 8, which are secured to the deck, but they are threaded into the nuts 21 on the channel-shaped truck beams 24. Lock nuts 29 are mounted on the screws 28 and clamp the entire wing structure to the deck 2. L- shaped stops 30 are secured to the deck 2 and extenddownwardly and laterally, under the lock nuts 29.

A tail' structure 3i, of any desired form, or of conventional make-up, is united by rearwardly converging connections 32 with the side beams 24 of the truck 23.

Parallel, fore and aft iluid pressure cylinders 33 are secured at 34 to the deck 2 and are open at their rear ends, as shown in Fig. 3 at 35. Piston structures 36 are mounted for reciprocation in the cylinders 33 and are pivotally connected at their after ends, as shown at 31, with the cross bar 26 of the truck 23. cylinders 33 are connected by a U-shaped header 38. The intermediate portion of the header 38 is in communication with a conduit 39, extending downwardly into the hull I and connected to a source 40 of iiuid pressure supply, a valve 4I under the control of the operator being interposed in the conduit.

A drum 42 is mounted at 43 on the stern frame I 1 ,I connoression.` springs-'I9 being vinterposed between the bases: of i the cylinders and the lower ends of the plungersr' The forward ends of the 'I and carries a line 44, extended rearwardly through a guide 46 in the stern frame 1 and thence forwardly along the deck 2, the line terminating in a hook 45. The drum 42 may be operated by a crank 41, or any other suitable means. The line 44 may be connected, detachably, through the instrumentality of the hook 45, with a ring 49 on the forward part of the wing structure 22.

The screws 28 are rotated until they arev clear of the nuts 29 on the truck beams 24. This sets the wings 22 free for rearward sliding movement. As the screws 28 are backed off, the nuts 29 come into contact with the stops 30 and then the operator knows that the wings 22 and their tracks 24 are free to slide aft. By means of the Valve 4| of 2, pressure is admitted to the conduit 39, and thence into the forward ends of the cylinders 33, by means of the header 38.

The piston structures 36 are moved astern, carrying with them the truck 23 and the' wing structure 22 which is connected thereto. Ultimately, the piston structures 36 move out of the cylinders 33, through the open, after'ends 35 of the cylinder.

Ultimately the truck 23, represented sufficiently by the side beams 24, slides upon the extensions I of the track rails 8. Under the weight of the wing structure 22, the extensions I0 swing downwardly on their pivots I I, thus easing the wings down upon the sea. Referring to Fig. 5, as the extensions I0 swing downwardly, the plungers I8, cooperating with the springs I9 cushion the downward swinging movement of the parts I0. The wings 22 are deposited on the water, at a mild angle to the surface thereof, and are not plunged downwardly, edgewise, into the water. After the wings 22 and associated parts are deposited on the surface of the water, the springs I9 of Fig. 3 react on the plungers I8, to dispose the extensions I0 into horizontal position.

'Ihe hull I of the boat now is free from the wing structure 22, saving for the line connection 44, and the connection is paid off the drum 42, to any desired extent to serve as a tow line for the wing structure 22. If there is a high sea running, or if for any other reason it is desired to have the boat unencumbered by a tow, the hook can be cast off the ring 49 on the wing structure 22.

The deck 2 is smooth from the after end of the cylinder 33 to the extreme after end of the deck, to permit the piston structure 36 to move readily thereover, after the piston structure has left the cylinder. When the truck 23 and the wings 22 are clear of the hull I, the piston structure depends from the truck and forms a drag, adapted to foul the bottom in shallow water, or on a shoal. The wing structure is anchored, to some extent, and perhaps completely, depending upon the nature of the bottom. The wing structure may be prevented from becoming beached and pounded to pieces in the breakers. At least, the progress of the oating wing structure will be slowed up, an opportunity being aorded to salvage it. 'I'he piston is not without function as to drogue.

The boat, especially if it has abandoned its wing structure 22, may be used for transportation purposes, such as landing troops and the like.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a safety device for sea planes, a sea plane hull including a deck, a fore and aft track on the deck and extended to the' stern thereof, a wing, a truck secured to the wing and mounted to move along the track, power means for moving the truck and the wing astern and clear of the hull, the power means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on the deck and a piston struc- `ture slidable in the cylinder, and means for piv- 

